1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic toll payment passes that are used to automatically pay a toll as a vehicle passes through a tollbooth. More particularly, the present invention relates to devices and methods that are used to mount electronic toll payment passes against the windshield of a vehicle so it can be read at a tollbooth.
2. Prior Art Statement
In the past, when a vehicle passed through a tollbooth, the driver of the vehicle had to stop the vehicle and pay a toll. This disrupts the regular flow of traffic. If heavy traffic is present on the toll road, it is not uncommon for large traffic backups to exist approaching a toll plaza, as each vehicle prepares to stop and pay the toll. In attempts to better increase traffic flow, different traffic authorities have tried many different ways to decrease the amount of time a vehicle spends stopped at a tollbooth. If the amount of time per vehicle can be decreased, the traffic congestion can likewise be decreased.
One way to decrease the amount of time a vehicle spends at a tollbooth is to install coin toss buckets in some of the tollbooths. Coin toss buckets are commonly used on toll roads that have small tolls. Coin toss buckets enable a driver of a vehicle to pay a toll simply by throwing the money for the toll into a collection bucket that quickly counts the money to determine if the proper toll has been paid. However, if a toll is in excess of one dollar, coin toss buckets become impractical since few people carry enough coins to pay the toll. Many traffic authorities have also tried coupon books. Coupon books are bought by the driver of a vehicle. Each coupon in the book is good for one passage through the toll. As such, a toll collector need only collect the coupon without having to receive money and make change. The time savings with the use of coupons is nominal. Accordingly, the use of coupons does not have a significant effect on traffic patterns at tollbooths.
Electronic toll payment passes are the first true solution to reducing traffic congestion problems at tollbooths. Electronic toll payment passes are electronic transceivers that contain a coded customer number. Owners of vehicles open credit accounts and receive an electronic toll payment pass with a unique customer identification code. The electronic toll payment pass is mounted against the inside of a vehicle""s windshield. When the vehicle passes through a tool booth, the electronic toll payment pass is automatically activated, wherein the electronic toll payment pass transmits its customer code. A receiver within the tollbooth reads the transmitted customer code and debits the price of the toll against the account having that customer code.
Since the use of electronic toll payment passes consists of nothing more than the exchange of electronic data, vehicles having electronic toll payment passes do not have to stop. They need only pass through the tollbooth. For the sake of safety, however, many tollbooths place speed limits on how fast a vehicle with an electronic toll payment pass can pass through the tollbooth without stopping.
Typically, electronic toll payment passes are provided with two strips of hook and loop material that adhesively mount to the windshield of the vehicle. The housing of the electronic toll payment pass also has two strips of hook and loop material that can be selectively joined to the hook and loop strips on the windshield. This retains the electronic toll payment pass in place against the windshield, yet provides the ability to quickly remove the device from the windshield when the vehicle is left unattended.
There are certain disadvantages to electronic toll payment passes. When an electronic toll payment pass is mounted onto the interior of a windshield, the base of the electronic toll payment pass is visible through the glass of the windshield. This enables thieves to quickly determine if an electronic toll payment pass has been left within a vehicle. The visibility of the electronic toll payment pass also detracts from the aesthetic value of the vehicle.
In the prior art, there have been devices that are designed to hold electronic toll payment passes in place. These prior art devices typically consist of some type of bracket that holds the electronic payment pass against the back of a vehicle""s sun visor. As such, the sun visor must be lowered each time the vehicle passes through a tollbooth, in order to bring the electronic toll payment pass within close proximity of the windshield. With many makes of vehicles, the sun visor does not turn flush with the interior of the windshield. In such model vehicles, the electronic toll payment pass cannot be mounted to the sun visor because it may not be properly positioned to operate in a tollbooth.
A need therefore exists for a system and method of retaining an electronic toll payment pass in place against the interior of a windshield in a manner that both prevents the electronic toll payment pass from being readily seen and does not detract from the aesthetic appeal of the vehicle.
The present invention is a mounting device and method for mounting an electronic toll payment pass to the interior of a vehicle""s windshield. The device is comprised of a mounting structure having a face surface and a back surface. The face surface of the mounting structure is attached to the glass of the vehicle""s windshield with either adhesive or double-sided tape. The electronic toll payment pass is connected to the back surface of the mounting structure in a manner that allows the electronic toll payment pass to be easily installed and removed by the driver of the vehicle.
When the electronic toll payment pass is attached to the mounting structure, the mounting structure is interposed between the glass of the windshield and the electronic toll payment pass. The mounting structure preferably contains a display image. The display image is visible through the glass of the windshield and obstructs the viewing of the electronic toll payment pass through the windshield. Consequently, when the mounting structure is in place, the presence or absence of the electronic toll payment pass cannot be readily determined by an observer outside the vehicle. Furthermore, when the electronic toll payment pass is present, the uninteresting appearance of the electronic toll payment pass is replaced with a selected aesthetically pleasing display image.